Florida Gators forward Will Yeguete (15) and teammates make their way to the court during an open practice at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, on Friday, April 4, 2014. (Vernon Bryant/The Dallas Morning News) NCAA Final Four

Each of Florida’s four wins in the NCAA Tournament has been by 10 points or more, but the Gators survived some tight finishes during their 30-game winning streak. The way they’ve finished those games is dramatically different from last season.

Florida was 0-6 in games decided by fewer than 10 points last season. The Gators’ late-game poise this season shows in their 14-2 record when the margin is in single digits.

“The coaches are never rattled. The seniors are never rattled,” sophomore forward Dorian Finney-Smith said. “The young guys see that no one is rattled, so they are not going to be rattled, either.”

Wilbekin will get help trying to slow Napier

Florida coach Billy Donovan said he believes great offense always beats great defense.

That gives Connecticut guard Shabazz Napier, who is averaging 23.3 points per game in the NCAA Tournament, the edge as Florida guards such as Scottie Wilbekin try to thwart him Saturday.

But Wilbekin will get a lot of help against Napier, who scored 26 points in UConn’s 65-64 victory over Florida in December.

“Scottie is a great defensive player,” Donovan said. “But Scottie is not going to be able to deal with Shabazz one-on-one. We have been a team that’s played collectively as a group on the defensive end of the floor.”

Balanced approach works on offense

Florida doesn’t have a scorer quite like Connecticut’s Shabazz Napier, but the Gators’ balance makes them tough to stop. Forward Casey Prather (13.8 points per game), guard Scottie Wilbekin (13.4), guard Michael Frazier (12.6) and center Patric Young (10.8) average in double figures, and guard Dorian-Finney Smith (8.9) has scored 15 or more six times this season.

“For our system and our style with the way we try to play, we like to be balanced,” Florida coach Billy Donovan said. “When a team takes certain things away from you, you still have to be able to have other guys step up in different situations and provide offense.”

Just happy to be here? No chance, Young says

After getting knocked off in the Elite Eight the last three seasons, Florida was relieved to make it to the Final Four. But although senior center Patric Young described the Gators’ run to the Final Four as “tremendously rewarding,” he said there’s no chance of the team being complacent now that it’s here.

“When you achieve a goal when people are saying you can’t do it and you finally attain it, the expectations come back for something else — the next thing,” Young said. “It’s now that we’re here, can we win it all.”

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